Collapsible box



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- M. R. KONDOLF f C OLLAPSI-BLE BOX Filed June 19 I 1925 Patented May 1s, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 'y

MATHIAS R. KONDOLF, F BALA-CYNW'YD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB', BY MESNE l ASSIGNMENTS, T0 GARMENT CENTER FIBRE CONTAINER CORP., OF NEW'YOBK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

coLLArsIBLE Box.

"appncauon mea June 1a, 1925. seran No. sans.

My `presenti'nventiorirelates generally to a boxl construction preferably of material such as 'fibre board, card board, etc. and more particularly to a box construction of 5 this character which can be. shipped Vand stored in knock-down or collapsed form and then set up when desired to be used. m

While knock-down boxes ofthe character referred to serve advanta .eously because of the fact that they can be s ipped and stored in fiat form and need be set up only when it is desired to ackage merchandise therein,

they present t e disadvantage ofl generally requiring considerable manipulation, to

cause them to' assume a box-like form with the consequent consumption of time.

One of the important objects of my invention is the provision of a type ofcollapsible box in which the box in the collapsed form can be changed to the form in which -it presents 4a box-like form with upstanding walls, with a minimum amount of manipulation and expenditure of time.

vision of an arrangement for simultaneously reinforcing the corners of the box whereby the means for retaining the box in its set up condition also serve to reinforce the corners of the box. f

In the settin up of a box ofthis character from a blank, t ere is enerally an excess of material remaining am? one of the important objects of my invention isl the' arrangement whereby this excess material serves to form the means for retaining the box in its set up condition and more particularly serves addrtionally to reinforce the corners.

Boxesof this character vare sold in such tremendous quantities that any improve .ments whereby the box can be produced more cheaply due either to a saving in the cost oflabor ormaterial, or both, is a ver large item in the. problem of its commercialization.' So also any :'unpreven'lentsl in a box construction of this cha a'cter whereby the box canbe set u from 1ts flat vor vcollapsed formmore uic 4 y is also an important item and one of t e objects Bof my invention is the provision of'an arrangement whereb `a box Loftti's 'charactercanlge manufact j l' with@b Another object of my invention -is the prol minimum amount of material-and with the'- expenditure of a minimum amount of time and effort and the production of a box con-` struction whichv can be set upquickly and which when set up, will withstand all the stresses and strains to which a box Vof this character is normall subject to when shipped with merchan ise therein.

My invention enerally resides in an arrangement where y a flat strip of Vmaterial of the character-referred to and which is scored or otherwise treated along lines parallel to and e ui-distantly spaced from the side and end e ges of the strip .so as to provide the hinge lines alon which the s1des and ends of the strip can e folded to form the side and end walls of the box, has the portions which are formed at each corner between the ends of these score lines cut from Athe point adjacent each corner where the score lines cross to an outer edge of said corner piece in such a manner as to provide by a single cut, two separate aps, each of which has one or more locking llps thereon with one of the flaps hingedly attached to an end of a side Wall and the other ap hingedly o attached to the adjacent end of the adjacent end wall. Asa resultA of this arrangement, the four separated walls are'formed each independent of the other and the two flaps -formed at each corner as described, hin e about adjacent ends of two adjacent wal lwhlch ends are positicnedl vertically when the walls are in theirvertical position, so

.that one flap mayassume a posltion super- 'posed upon the 1nner face of the adjacent wall, and the other Hap at s aid corner may be caused to assume a position superposed .upon the exterior face of said other adjacent wherein zebodiment -of my 'invention in the. drawings, -lon blank from which a box body or tray is to be made and this blank or strip cornprises a rectangular sheet of material such as. card board or libre board, scored for the full length -o the blank along lines parallel to the opposite side edges thereof. and

also scored for thefull Width of the blanks' and parallel to the .end edges. These score lines intersect at the points 17, 18, 19 .and 20, thus defining the side walls 21 and 22 and the end walls 23 and 24 as well as the rectangular corner portions 25, 26, 27 and 28, each of which corner portions 1s formed what is in fact surplus material and `which I employ for -the vpurposes oflocklng the box in its set up position in a manner whlch I will shortly describe.

Those portions of the score lines 1n between adjacent points of interseetlon form the hinges along which the sides and end walls fold or bend so as to permit these walls to assume their position at an angle to the bottom 26 to form the box and to these scored wall hinges, I have applied the referencecharaeters 29. Preferably although not necessarily simultaneously vwith the cutting of the rectangular strip of Flg. 1, from a larger or continuous sheet of material, I eut through each corner piece 25, 26, 27 and 28 from the adjacent joint of intersection 17, 18, 19 or 20 of the score lines as referred to, to the outer edge of each corner piece along an irregular line so as to form from each corner piece two* locking flaps and also provide in each of the walls, means for cooperating therewith for securing the box in the `set up condition as will now be more fully set forth.

As in the illustrated embodiment, each wall and corner piece are similarly treated, the-description o the treatment of the end walls 21 and 23 and of the intermediate corner piece 25 will suice for the rest.

tion 31 ofi-the cut theblank, 'and sthehportions" 30; 31, 32 and' 33 divide t ese The cut through the corner piece 25 comprises kat one end the straight portion 30 starting. from the end adjacent the point of intersection 17 of the score lines and at the other end thecurved `cut 31 starting at the outside and open through the edge of the material and the two are connected to form a complete single cut by the curved cut 32 Vand the-short cut 33. It will be observed'upon viewing this ligure that the poropens into the side edge that the cut made u of 'ntothe two Hap' portions 34.

'flaps or tabs 42 adjacentV slots 39v on the and 35, the character of which can bemore fully, understood lfrom an observation of Fig. 3 of the drawing. The end wall 23 of .the blank is provided intermediate lts ends with the ents or slot 36 each made up of the angulhr portions 37 and 38 as shown. The side wall 21 is similarly provided adjacent each end with the slot 39 made by cuts-40 and 4l at an angle to each other and for purposes that will be understood as this application is read.

Upon viewing Fig. 3 of the drawing, it will be observed that the cuts 30, 31, 32 and 33 in the corner 25 are of such a character that they provide on the flap 34 a locking tab 42 having thereon the locking hook or shoulder .43 resulting from the fact that the -cut 31 is concaveias far as the flap 34 is concerned, whereas, the cut 32 is convex and the inner terminal of the former eut eX- tends slightly inwardly of the adjacent terminal of the latter cut and that the straight cut 33 eonnects these two terminals, thus producing the projecting or extending locklng lip 42.

These same cutsl produce a reversally or oppositely Adirected locking lip or tab 44 in the flap 35 due to the fact 'that the eut 31which is convex with reference to this rlip has its inner terminal extending slightly inwardlyof the adjacent terminal of the cut 32 which is concave with reference to such lip, these two cuts being joined by the short straight cut 33, thus forming the locking tab 44 which-carries the locking hook 45. It will be understood that the dimensions of these locking tabs 42 and 44'and of the locking lips 43 and 45 are predeterminedly dimensioned relatively to the dimensions of the slots 36 and 39, as will now be pointed out. TheA portions 31, 32, and 33 0f the cut form what is in fact an ogee eut with portions thereof displaced laterally of each other by means of the short connecting cut 33, thus providing the oppositely positloned and 44 having the oppositely directed locking hooks or lips 43 and 45.

'.In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I show the dlerent corners in their successive stages in the setting up operation which I will now` describe in connection with the two adjacent corners at one end of the box. The'side walls 21 and-22 are moved about their scored hinges 29 to a vertical positionrelativelyvto the base 26 and an intermediate end wall then moved to a corresponding position with the flaps 35-35 taking a osition superposed upon the inner face o? the side walls 21 and 22. Due tothe position of the'parts, the locking extensions 44 will be brought into position of substantial registry with tle opposite side walls.

By applying pressure to the material below the slot 39,v suicient olearness is pro yided to permit of tha insertion of thelock- 111g extensions 44 into these slots, it being understood that in this act of insertion, the

locking extensions 44 willswing about the score lines 29 which forms the hinge for the bottom of the end wall as an axis until the locking extension 44 is fully inserted. The

'- inserted, the parts of the side wall on each side`of the cut 39 will tend to assume their l normal position in the same plane, and will so position the material on both sides of the cut 41, as a result of which the locking lip 45 will be forced out of the plane of the cuts which form the slots 39 so that the locking lip 45 will enga e with the edge of vthis cut so as to positive y prevent the withdrawal of the locking lips unless the material above and below the cut 39 are again moved out of their plane and' even in this event, the withdrawal of the 'lips will be difficult.

Due to the fact that these flaps were moved into position along the arc of acircle of which thev lower hinge 29 of the end wall is'vthe axis, the adjacent locking aps 34 are now brought into position adjacent the cuts 36 in the end walls by a compound movement about the score line at the lower end of the side walls and the score line which Eorms the hinge by which the locking flaps 34 are secured to the side wall, the locking extension 42 is brought into registry 4with and inserted into the slot 36 and the locking lip locked into position against removal substantially in the .same manner as already described in connection with the locking It will be bserved therefore by the character of knock down boxes herein described and illustrated, that I have provided a con-. struction in which the material which is ordinarily surplusage in boxes of this charv adter is employed not only so as to secure a locking arrangement of high eiiiciency, but also a. reinforced -corner construction without the employment of any other elements, features or operations such as sew,

ing or stapling- This box construction also vpossesses the decided advantage from the standpoint of shipment because as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, in its collapsed state it takes a two layer form, the lower layer being m-'ade .up of the bottom 26 and the two end walls 23 and 24 upon which are superposed on one side one side wall 21 and the adjacent corner pieces 25 and 26 on the other side of which is superposed the opposite side wall 22 and its adjacent corner pieces 27 and 28.

Due to the manner of forming the flaps 34 and 35, the former including as stated, the locking tabs 42 and the locking lips 43 and the latter including the locking tabs 44 andthe locking lips 45, it will be understood that when the lap 35 is secured ,in position with the hooks 45 in full engagement with slots 39 that the box will be initially assembled and that when the locking lips 43 are thereafter engaged with the end wall, that this last mentioned engagement will not only serve to complete the assembly of the box, but will also serve tohold the first mentioned locking lips or hooks against disengagement. In other words, the disengagement of the locking lips from its association with the side walls 21 and 22, will be prevented not only by its own inherent construction and manner of association with such side walls, but also by the viewing Fig. 3 of the drawing, that the flaps 34 and 35 at the corners extendfor the full depth of these corners and for the full depth of the .box so that with the initial assembly of the box which occurs as the locking lips 45 are in full engagement with the slot 39 in the side walls 21 and 22, a continuous wall structure will be provided so' that with this initial assembly.y the continuity of the wall structure will be attained, and pilfering through the corners prevented. 4

The cut 30 and the cut 33 in each corner portion form spaced abutments or stops to prevent movement of the iap in either direction from its position of association in the slots 36 and 39.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have -shown the grainof the board as extendingr lengthwise of the strip on the blank and in Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have shown the effect produced in this respect as result of the manner in which I form the laps 34 and 35 and upon viewing this figure, it will be observed that the grain of the material lextends either -diagrammatically or diagonally of the cuts.

so that the most eiective resistance is offered by the box structure materialvto tearing stresses and stra-ins. 1 Having thus described my invention and `illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A collapsible box comprising a single sheet scored to define side and end members osubstantially uniformv width,4 saidscoring lao" crossing to deline substantially square corner areas with a single line cut in each of said corners producing two initially inter-engaging hooks adapted to be separated and folded one inside and the other outside of the upturned side and end members, said side and end members being provided with slits properly positioned to receive said hooksl when in such folded positions.

2. A collapsible box comprising a single sheet scored to define side and end members of substantially uniform Width, said scoring crossing to define substantially square corner areas with a single line cut in each of said corners extending from the junction of the scoring producing two initially interengaged hooks adapted to be separated and folded one inside and the other outside of the upturned side and end members, said side and end members being provided with slits properly positioned to receive said hooks when in such folded positions.

8. A collapsible box comprising a single 'slieet'scored to define side and end members of substantially uniform width, said scoring crossing to define substantially square corner areas -with a single line cut in each of said fcorners producing two -initially interengaging hooks adapted to be separated and folded one inside and the other outside of the upturned side and end members and extending in opposite directions fromthe corner, sald side and end members being provided With slits properly positioned to receive said hooks when in such folded positions. l

4. A collapsible box comprising a single sheet scored to define side and end members of substantially uniform Width, said scoring crossing to define substantially square corner areas with a single cut in each of said corners producing two initially interengaged hooks adapted to be separated and folded one inside and the other outside `of the upturned side and end members, said side and end members being provided with slits prop; erly positioned intermediate the upper and lower margins to receive said hooks when in such folded positions. A

5. A collapsible box comprising a single sheet scored to define side and end members of substantially uniform width, said scorings crossing to define substantially square corner areas with a single line peut in each of said corners extending fromthe junction of the scoring producing two initially inter-engaging hooks adapted to be separated and folded one inside and the other outside of the upturned side and end members and extending in opposite directions from the corner, said side and end members being provided with slits properly positioned intermediate the upper and lower margins to re-I ceive said hooks when in such folded Ipositions. l

In witness whereof, I-liave hereunto signed my name.

MATHIAS R. KONDOLF. 

